


Save It For Later

by Must_Be_Thursday



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Force Healing (Star Wars), Gen, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Temporary Character Death, The Force Is Weird, Whump, Worried Ahsoka Tano, Worried Anakin Skywalker, lineage feels, unintentionally left for dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27394066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Must_Be_Thursday/pseuds/Must_Be_Thursday
Summary: While Obi-Wan waits for death on a lonely battlefield, he can't help but worry about his padawan and the future of his battalion.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 15
Kudos: 264





	1. Chapter 1

It wasn’t the first time that Obi-Wan woke up alone on a battlefield, but given the sizable hole through his chest plate, he figured it may well be the last. While breathing didn’t seem particularly painful, he couldn’t seem take a deep breath. The icy ground didn’t feel cold on his back, even though he hadn’t the time to don his cold weather gear before the battle began. His chest ached, though not as much as it probably should which only convinced him further that death wasn’t too far off. 

Obi-Wan would never wish the pain of watching one’s master die on another soul, but part of him longed for Anakin to be there with him. If not for Obi-Wan’s own comfort, at least so he could say goodbye. Anakin needed the closure, and well, if Obi-Wan was honest with himself, he did too.

He had called Anakin and Ahsoka for backup when the Separatists gained the upper hand, but they were too far away to get there in time. Obi-Wan was sure they were breaking records in hyperspace jumps on their way, but Anakin would still blame himself. The young man carried far too much on his shoulders. 

Obi-Wan forced himself to focus the present, a habit that Qui-Gon had drilled into him as a padawan. He noticed a warm dampness on his clothing, which was odd. Blaster wounds don’t often bleed, and it was too cold for rain. That was one puzzle that required too much concentration, so he pushed it aside for the moment. 

He reached out through the Force and was met with a blinding pain through his skull. Head injury then as well, which explained why he couldn't recall getting hit. He breathed through the pain and reached out again with much more caution.

A light dusting of snow had started to cover the dead and dying clones surrounding him, men who had fought and fallen beside him with a devotion not often seen in sentients. They fought for the Republic because they had to, but they fought for him because they wanted to. And he was sorry to leave them. Hopefully the survivors wouldn’t be split up, he was pretty sure he had made a note of that when he wrote up a will for the GAR at the beginning of the war. 

Maybe Anakin’s battalion could take them in, or Cody could be promoted to general. He should have requested that. The commander was certainly qualified, but the GAR wasn’t too keen on the idea of clone generals. Though it might not have done much good, as Obi-Wan soon discovered Cody laying a few yards away. His helmet was gone so Obi-Wan could see his regular breaths forming tiny clouds in the air, but he couldn’t tell if his injuries were fatal. He hoped his commander would pull through. Losing two of their highest ranking COs would make a transition much more difficult for whoever remained of the 212th. 

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and diverted his attention to listen to his surroundings. The death rattles of his soldiers who were past saving twisted his heart, but there were also many with less severe injuries and he could hear their steady breathing. Further away the sounds of the battle continued, so part of his battalion was still in the fight. It was equal parts reassuring and disheartening to know the war would go on without him. The galaxy would keep on spinning.

Death seemed to be taking its sweet time to come for him. Not that he _wanted_ to go. But if he had to, he’d rather not drag it out.

That morbid thought was interrupted by the unmistakable rumble of gunships approaching. He rolled his head to see them breaking through the low clouds and couldn’t help but smile when he felt Anakin prodding at their bond. He pushed back a weak response, too tired to send a full thought. 

With the knowledge that his men were safe – or at least safer than they’d been moments ago – Obi-Wan allowed himself to relax.

He didn’t rest long though. The heavy pounding of several dozen pairs of boots dragged him back to the surface and he noted the familiar blue and white forms of the 501st sprinting by.

He didn’t notice Anakin approaching until he fell to his knees beside him, face twisting with horror as he took in his injuries.

“Obi-Wan,” he all but whispered. Obi-Wan winced at the light pressure of Anakin’s hands on his chest plate.

“Sorry, sorry,” Anakin said backing off and turning away for a moment, “Snips, I need you!”

“Anakin…” Obi-Wan rasped.

There was a quick squeeze at Obi-Wan’s hand, “Just hang in there, Master. The medics will be here soon,” Anakin let go, but Obi-Wan caught his wrist.

“Anakin,” the young knight paused at the no-nonsense tone of Obi-Wan’s voice, “This is…not your fault,” the slightest tightening of Anakin’s features told Obi-Wan that he didn’t believe his words, but there wasn't much else he could do to convince him. Having said what he needed to, Obi-Wan let go of his hold on Anakin.

His senses were muddled for a moment while he was shifted around and the pressure returned to his chest. He noticed light fingers carding through his hair and soft vibrations from his padawans speaking to each other. When his vision cleared, Ahsoka was watching him, he could see her lips moving but couldn’t understand what she was trying to tell him. 

His upper body was resting in her lap and she cradled his head in her hands, trying to distract him from Anakin hastily pulling at the straps of his armor.

Ahsoka’s words finally broke through his haze, “Breathe, Master! You need to breathe!”

Obi-Wan gasped, having unconsciously held his breath while they moved him. With the small amount of fresh oxygen came greater clarity. The clarity brought a new wave of pain with it and Obi-Wan groaned.

Ahsoka kept speaking in a steady stream of low, soft tones while Obi-Wan struggled to even out his breathing as best he could. He felt Anakin loosen his belt and bunch up his tabards to press against the chest wound. He blacked out for a moment, the new pressure aggravating the tension that had settled in his chest. 

Then he felt the love and concern that Anakin and Ahsoka were pouring through the bonds they shared with him. _It hurt_. It hurt because Obi-Wan had always felt the same, but he never allowed himself to show it. There was far too much that he left unsaid out of fear of being accused of attachment. 

They were trying so hard to save him, but Obi-Wan noticed how difficult it was becoming to breathe and he knew he didn’t have much time left. He couldn’t leave them with nothing.

He steeled himself and powered through the heaviness in his chest to take a breath deep enough so he could speak. His unlikely lineage was huddled above him. Snowflakes melting in Anakin’s hair, Ahsoka slightly flushed from the cool air, tears filling both of their eyes. Knowing it would cost him the last of his energy, Obi-Wan flooded his ends of their bonds with pride and affection. He knew it was received when twin looks of pleasant surprise lit their faces.

“I love you…my padawans,” he said with a soft smile, “You’ll be okay.”

As far as last words went, he figured he could have done worse.


	2. Chapter 2

Obi-Wan had known he was dying but just assumed he would lose consciousness and dissolve into the Force. He stumbled when his feet hit solid ground and a familiar pair of arms caught him. Too familiar. He sank to his knees, the arms guiding him down and pulling him close, “Master.”

Qui-Gon pulled away and tipped Obi-Wan’s chin up to look him in the eye, “Padawan.”

He glanced away and tried to pull himself out of Qui-Gon’s arms, but sharp pain lanced across his chest and he doubled over, pressing a hand to his heart.

“Why does it still hurt?” he managed to gasp, “I didn’t…think it would hurt anymore.”

“You’re not quite dead, Ben.”

Obi-Wan shot him a severe look at the familiar endearment, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I wish we had more time,” Qui-Gon said, rubbing his thumb over the place where Obi-Wan’s padawan braid once grew, “I’ve realized many things in death, but you are still needed among the living and I don’t have long to convince you to go back.”

He cupped Obi-Wan’s face in his hands and poured the images he’d seen into his padawan’s mind.

_Jedi slaughtered by the clones._

_Anakin Falling, burning next to a river of fire, fished from the ashes, put back together and tortured by the very suit keeping him alive._

_Obi-Wan standing over Padme with a baby in his arms. Luke, she names him._

_Luke growing into a young man. An older Obi-Wan stalling Anakin – no longer Anakin – so Luke and his friends can escape._

_Luke pulling off the mask and finding his father, no longer twisted by the dark side._

Obi-Wan pulls away, tears running down his face, “Can I change it?”

Qui-Gon shook his head, “This was set in motion long ago, before Anakin was even born. He will bring balance, but not as I had hoped. You need to be there to protect Luke. He’ll never survive without you to watch over him.”

“How – how do I just go on, knowing what will happen?”

“If you choose to return, you won’t remember,” Qui-Gon said, pulling Obi-Wan back within arm’s reach.

Obi-Wan studied his master’s face, “I have a choice?”

“The Force isn’t so cruel that it would deny you your rest. If that is what you wish.”

“I didn’t want to die,” Obi-Wan whispered, “But now I – what happens if I’m not there?”

“I don’t know, this is the only future I was given.”

Obi-Wan took a moment to consider it, “He’ll just Fall sooner rather than later,” he said, leaning forward to rest his head on Qui-Gon’s shoulder, “And there would be no one left to guard his son.”

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Qui-Gon said gently, “I am sorry to ask something like this of you again, Padawan. But there is not much time, the choice will be out of your hands soon.”

Obi-Wan sat up, “I – I don’t know if I can.”

“You are stronger than you know, my Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon said, pulling Obi-Wan close to rest their foreheads together, “If you do go back, I’ll be here to catch you. When it’s over.”

Obi-Wan shuddered. It was an impossible decision, but in the end, there was only one path for him.

***

Anakin strode through the med tent; he didn’t know where he would find Kix, but he trusted his instincts to take him where he needed to be. Kix was still working, he had to still be working because the frayed ends of the Force bond in Anakin’s mind were too painful to acknowledge.

There were a few bays at the end of the tent with privacy curtains. Only the last one was draw closed and Anakin brushed past the thin divider. The very last bit of hope he carried died in his chest. Kix sat on a crate, staring at the body laid out on the table. It only took Anakin a few steps to reach Obi-Wan’s side, but it drained him like no battle ever had. He hovered a hand over Obi-Wan’s still chest before reaching up to stroke his hair, the only part of him not covered in blood or tubes or wires. 

Anakin took a shaky breath, he had been so sure he could still feel Obi-Wan in the Force, muted and distant but still _him_. But it must have just been an afterimage or a product of Anakin’s own imagination. Obi-Wan was gone, already scattered to the Force having left nothing behind but a broken body. 

“I’m sorry, General,” Kix said softly. He rose and took a step toward the opening in the privacy curtain, “I’ll be back. To get him ready for transport.”

Anakin shook his head and wiped his eyes on his sleeve, “There’s no need to wait. Ahsoka will be here soon and she shouldn’t see him like this,” he said, remembering how Obi-Wan hadn’t let him see Qui-Gon right away, “Traditionally it should…be someone of his lineage, to take care of the body. But you can help, unless you’re needed somewhere?”

“No,” Kix said, “I can stay.” He pulled off his gloves and gathered the few things they’d need.

They worked together in silence. Kix gently removed the tube from Obi-Wan’s throat. Anakin slipped the IV from his hand, giving his fingers a soft squeeze before moving on to take the leads off his chest. The knight steeled himself and peeled up the piece of plastic that Kix had sealed over the deepest point of the blaster wound. Using a damp cloth he started washing away the half-dried blood that coated Obi-Wan’s skin, but where he expected to find torn flesh, there was only new scar tissue.

“Kix?”

The medic looked up from where he had just removed the chest tube and leaned over to see what concerned Anakin. He hadn’t even gotten a look when he was startled by Obi-Wan sucking in a breath. Obi-Wan’s eyes fluttered open and he groaned, dragging a hand up to his chest. They both froze for half a second before Kix jumped back to work; he scrambled to strap on an oxygen mask and start multiple scans.

Obi-Wan looked around confused until he found Anakin beside him, “What happened?” he asked, reaching for his padawan.

Anakin snapped out of his daze and gripped Obi-Wan’s hand in both of his, but he didn’t know where to start. He wasn’t sure what happened himself.

“How bad is it?” Obi-Wan glanced to Kix then back to Anakin, “I – I feel okay. What’s wrong?”

Kix dropped his hands when he realized there was nothing he could do, because there was nothing he _needed_ to do. He stared in disbelief, watching the incision from the chest tube heal over. The only sign of trauma was the blood left on Obi-Wan’s chest. The wound had healed into a long, pink scar across his chest, but even that was fading to look months-old instead of just moments. According to Kix’s scans, even the ribs broken by the chest compressions had knitted back together.

“What’s wrong?” Obi-Wan asked again, the slightest bit of panic sneaking into his voice.

“You um…” Anakin forced himself to relax slightly, shifting Obi-Wan’s hand to a more comfortable position, “You were dead. I felt our bond unravel.”

Obi-Wan blinked at him a few times then tested their newly rewoven bond, sending a questioning nudge along it. Anakin gasped and pulled Obi-Wan up into a crushing hug. Mostly on instinct Obi-Wan returned it, the need to reassure his padawan overwhelming his confusion for a moment.

When Anakin finally let go, Obi-Wan pushed himself up further and pulled off the oxygen mask.

“No. No, Master leave it on,” Anakin said trying to push Obi-Wan back down.

“It’s okay,” Kix said, walking around the table to stand next to Anakin so Obi-Wan could swing his legs to one side. He was starting to shiver in the cool air, having been left in just his trousers. Anakin pulled off his cloak, holding it open for Obi-Wan to slip his arms through the sleeves and Kix tossed a shock blanket around his shoulders for good measure.

“Thank you,” Obi-Wan said, pulling the layers of warmth close. 

“How do you feel, Sir?” Kix asked.

Obi-Wan took a moment to take stock of himself, “Tired? A little sore, but not much more than I usually am after a long battle,” he traced the new scar on his chest and looked up to Kix and Anakin, “What happened? I don’t remember getting hit, but I woke up right before you and Ahsoka got here.”

Anakin nodded and picked up from there, “We had Kix and the other medics come in last. He got there right after you lost consciousness and brought you back to base. The battle was over by then so Ahsoka and I stayed to start the clean-up. There were a lot of unconscious wounded who started coming around when you were taken away, and the other medics needed extra help.”

“What about,” Obi-Wan gestured vaguely at his chest, “You didn’t have anything to do with this did you?”

“No,” Anakin said, shaking his head, “I wanted to heal you, but I didn’t really know where to start and I knew you wouldn’t want me trying anything reckless.”

Obi-Wan smiled gently, “Well, thank you for listening for once.”

Anakin let out a short, breathy laugh.

Obi-Wan looked back down at his chest, “This isn’t what I expected. I thought it was a direct hit.”

“It hit under your arm, then grazed your chest and broke through the front of your armor,” Anakin said, sitting beside Obi-Wan, “Cody said you were –.”

“Cody’s alive?” Obi-Wan interrupted, eyes wide.

Anakin nodded, “A concussion but he’ll be okay. He said the droids had flanked you and were using some new kind of broadband concussion canon. You turned to slow it with the Force, and that’s when you were hit.”

After a moment, Kix cleared his throat, “I’m sorry I can’t really explain the rest, Sir. The blaster wound breached your chest wall and air leaked into your chest cavity. It collapsed your lung and put too much pressure on your heart. We almost had it under control, but you took a turn for the worse and crashed. You didn’t have a pulse for over an hour, and now you’re – you’re fine.”

Obi-Wan cast his gaze at the floor, trying to piece everything together with his fuzzy memories of the battle.

“We don’t have to figure this out right now,” Anakin said, sliding a little closer to put a hand on his shoulder, “But do you remember anything?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, “Just you and Ahsoka holding me and then waking up here. I suppose we might search the archives when we get home to see if anything like this has ever happened before. Force healing to this extent is a very rare gift, and usually requires physical contact. But it wasn’t you, Ahsoka, or I so unless Kix is hiding something from us…” Obi-Wan drifted off, raising his eyebrow in mock inquiry.

“I’m not really sure of anything right now, Sirs. But I do know I had nothing to do with this.” 

“Yes, this does seem a bit miraculous. Even by your standards, Kix,” Obi-Wan said with a teasing smile. He grew somber again, “Sometimes it’s best not to look too closely at these things.”

Anakin squeezed his shoulder, “I’m just happy to have you back,” he whispered, the shock of Obi-Wan’s return was wearing off and while he now knew it was unnecessary, his earlier grief was trying to take hold again.

Obi-Wan slipped a hand out from under the blanket to lay it over Anakin’s. He was about to speak when a familiar presence entered the med tent. Ahsoka’s warm Force signature was swirling with sorrow, carefully contained but it still nearly choked Anakin and Obi-Wan.

“She doesn’t know,” Anakin said, rising from his seat, “Her bond would have broken too. She still thinks you’re –.”

Anakin couldn’t even finish that thought, he couldn’t imagine what Ahsoka was going through at the moment, still believing it to be true. He stepped through the gap in the privacy curtain to intercept her and she ran right into him. 

“Snips…” Anakin gripped her arms, trying to get her to look up, but Ahsoka closed her eyes, a few tears slipping past her lashes.

“Please, Master,” she said quietly, “I need to see him. I know it’s – it’s not really him in there but I can still feel him, and I didn’t – didn’t say goodbye. He was right there, and I didn’t –.”

Obi-Wan stepped around Anakin to pull Ahsoka into his arms, “You don’t need to say goodbye quite yet,” Ahsoka jumped at the presence of her grand-master enveloping her in the Force and she took half a step back, finally raising her eyes to look at him.

“Obi-Wan,” she gasped, a few more tears slipping out.

Obi-Wan gave her a warm smile and wiped her tears away, “Yes, my dear.”

She threw her arms around his neck, relief nearly visibly rolling off of her.

Anakin herded them back behind the flimsy divider in an effort not to disturb the resting clones. He then pulled them both into his arms, dropping his shields to better feel them both in the Force. Kix gave them some time alone, the three Jedi lost in the process of rebuilding their bonds and healing their mental wounds.

Qui-Gon watched on as his lineage embraced Obi-Wan, glad that at least for a while, they had cause for celebration instead of sorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled so much with this, I might rework it later once I've been away from it for awhile.


End file.
